The Six Stages of Climate Grief

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/04



Now that the hottest summer on record is drawing to a close, are we any closer to admitting that climate change is upon us? If not, why not?

It might have something to do with the five stages of grief. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified these stages as denial, then anger, followed by bargaining, depression, and acceptance. With record drought killing our cattle and our corn, West Nile virus sweeping the country, and Arctic ice sheets melting away, it's no surprise that millions of people are responding to these frightening signs of environmental decline in stages.

Nobel Laureate Steve W. Running first proposed this frame for understanding the popular response to climate change in 2007. I'd like to go one step further and suggest a sixth stage: The Work.

Denial, the first stage of grief, can be quite comfortable. The U.S. media is in many ways co-dependent with the denialist camp. It rarely connects the dots between extreme weather events and climate change, making it easy to remain blissfully ignorant. Our politicians are also prolonging this denial stage by rarely uttering the term "climate change," as though the words themselves were obscene.

[CRH]

1. With all the affirmation of climate change, ...

since the year 2000 never mind the nineties, I am still waiting for a single plank in the platform of either US political party. If the 2007 shout out from the IPCC panel was not enough action to create a political voice in the second greatest contributor of green house gasses, then the political denial is from a vested interest in the status quo, rather than ignorance.

There was only one mention of climate change in the republican convention, a snark by Romney of a 2008 Obama pledge to heal the planet. Today the democratic platform is unveiled, but I doubt there will be a plank addressing climate change, more likely empty rhetoric of environmental concern.

It seem this would be the time to create a distinction between the parties, a chance to effect more than just the presidential election, but that of the congressional seats as well. My hope for this is well tempered by my cynicism of both parties. It aint gonna happen.

[CRH]

3. The Democratic Platform is out and posted at democrats.org, ...

and though a few years too late, climate change is at least, a significant part of the rhetoric.

http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform

There are several sections that promote clean energy investment for a clean energy economy, and a couple of paragraphs that strongly in words, acknowledge the reality and dangers of climate change.

Some of the significant sections of the platform are listed below, though some contradict the intent of the provisions in all inclusive solutions. An example is in the section, 'All of the Above Energy Policy' promoting a move toward a clean energy economy, both natural gas and clean coal are an oxymoronic part of the solution.

The 'Putting Americans Back to Work' , 'Economy Built to Last', and 'Rural Communities and Agriculture' sections, all promote a conversion to a clean energy policy. The reality of funding and effective administration need to accompany the words for these planks to have meaning, but at least the rhetoric acknowledges the need.

Climate Change is acknowledged as being a threat to the future in the 'Environment' plank and again in the 'Countering Emerging Threats' section. An excerpt from each section is posted below.

~~ Snip from Environment section ~~

President Obama has taken the most significant strides in decades to cut pollution and advance public health – protecting our children and communities from harmful pollution by restoring and advancing safeguards for clean air and water and by working to reduce carbon pollution. Pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and mercury are a threat to human health, and Democrats will continue to stand up to polluters in the interest of environmental and public health.

We know that global climate change is one of the biggest threats of this generation – an economic, environmental, and national security catastrophe in the making. We affirm the science of climate change, commit to significantly reducing the pollution that causes climate change, and know we have to meet this challenge by driving smart policies that lead to greater growth in clean energy generation and result in a range of economic and social benefits.

President Obama has been a leader on this issue. We have developed historic fuel efficiency standards that will limit greenhouse gas emissions from our vehicles for the first time in history, made unprecedented investments in clean energy, and proposed the first-ever carbon pollution limits for new fossil-fuel-fired power plants. As we move towards lower carbon emissions, we will continue to support smart, energy efficient manufacturing. Democrats pledge to continue showing international leadership on climate change, working toward an agreement to set emission limits in unison with other emerging powers. Democrats will continue pursuing efforts to combat climate change at home as well, because reducing our emissions domestically – through regulation and market solutions – is necessary to continue being an international leader on this issue. We understand that global climate change may disproportionately affect the poor, and we are committed to environmental justice.

~~ end excerpt Environment section ~~

~~ Snip from Countering Emerging Threats section

Climate Change. The national security threat from climate change is real, urgent, and severe. The change wrought by a warming planet will lead to new conflicts over refugees and resources; new suffering from drought and famine; catastrophic natural disasters; and the degradation of vital ecosystems across the globe. That is why, in addition to undertaking measures to enhance energy independence and promote efficiency, clean energy, and renewable sources of power here at home, the President and the Democratic Party have steadily worked to build an international framework to combat climate change. We will seek to implement agreements and build on the progress made during climate talks in Copenhagen, Cancun, and Durban, working to ensure a response to climate change policy that draws upon decisive action by all nations. Our goal is an effective, international effort in which all major economies commit to reduce their emissions, nations meet their commitments in a transparent manner, and the necessary financing is mobilized so that developing countries can mitigate the effects of climate change and invest in clean energy technologies. That is why the Obama administration has taken a leadership role in ongoing climate negotiations, working to ensure that other major economies like China and India commit to taking meaningful action. It is also why we have worked regionally to build clean energy partnerships in Asia, the Americas, and Africa.

~~ end excerpt Countering Emerging Threats section ~~

I was wrong in the above post, at least there are planks in the Platform. This rhetoric should be fanned and contrasted with the republican platform in all levels of elections, to try to elect a congress that can realize some progress. Talk is cheap, intentions without actions amount to nothing, if wishes were horses beggars would ride.

Though in my opinion nothing can change the effect of carbon already in the atmosphere, and it appears too late to prevent many tipping point scenarios, at least it has been politically acknowledged, and contrasting lines have been drawn, for an uninformed electorate to ignore. How's that for cynicism of the human condition?

[pscot]

4. That's pretty tepid stuff

[CRH]

7. If one views the US performance ...

at Copenhagen, Cancun and Durban, it is probably worse than tepid. Meaningless rhetoric with no intentions of any actions deemed non competitive in the world economy.

[GliderGuider]

2. What freaky synchronicity this is!

Last night I wrote the following piece and posted it on Facebook:

Finding the Gift

Those of us who have been following the unfolding global crisis - the converging, interlocked "wicked problems" of energy, the environment, economics and social justice - have become intimately familiar with the progression through the Five Stages of Grief described by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.

1. Denial — "This can't be happening, there's been some stupid mistake."
2. Anger — "This is simply not fair! Who is to blame for this?"
3. Bargaining — "I'll do anything for a chance at a few more years. Anything!"
4. Depression — "I can't do anything about it, so why bother with anything? What's the point?"
5. Acceptance — "Well, I can't fight it, so I may as well prepare for it."

Often when we arrive at "Acceptance" we are so relieved just to be free of the pain of our grief that we stop looking to see if new possibilities may have been revealed.

As I have worked within Stage 5 for the last few years, I've come to think that Kubler-Ross stopped one stage too soon. There is a stage beyond the simple acceptance of our situation, even beyond the clear recognition of What Is.

There is a fundamental principle in deep inner work that the greatest gifts are always found in the darkest places. The acceptance of an inevitable ending, whatever it is, can clear our vision and allow us to see things that become the launch pad for new growth - for a kind of rebirth.

The bigger the change, the greater its potential gift, if we can just look at it with new eyes:

- We may find ways of moving beyond our old habits, expectations and judgments.
- We may realize that our old ways of seeing the world held us back.
- We may give ourselves permission to live authentically, as our true selves.

As a reminder to keep looking, I invite you to add a sixth stage to the model:

6. Finding the Gift - "Wow, look at the opportunities this change makes possible! I may not be able to go back, or even forward in the direction I wanted, but just look at all the other avuenues that have suddenly opened up!"

The Six Stages Of Grief
----------------------------
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
6. Finding the Gift

[pscot]

5. I would add a 7th stage:Panic

somewhere in there between anger and acceptance.

[GliderGuider]

6. In my experience, panic is what drives bargaining behaviour.

It was panic that drove my bargaining behaviour, anyway. Downsizing my life, switching to biofuels, doing the curly light bulb thing, re-usable shopping bags, switching to public transit, going vegetarian - it was all bargaining behaviour driven by the panicky feeling that I had to do something, anything - no matter how unreasonable or ineffectual it was.

Most of the people looking for alternative energy solutions or championing any of the other behaviour changes I listed above are, IMO, being driven by the same kind of panic bargaining, whether they can bring those emotions to consciousness or not. They are bargaining because they understand the severity of the crisis but haven't admitted, let alone accepted, that the solution they're seeking is out of reach.

Depression set in when I admitted that bargaining wouldn't fix it, and acceptance followed when I finally realized that nothing would fix it. It took me about 4 years after that to find the gift. It's a long process.

[pscot]

8. There has definitely been a lot of bargaining

evident in this forum over the last year or so. When the public at large start to wake up,i'm guessing the reaction wiil likely be more dramatic.

[AverageJoe90]

10. Sorry, but not quite.

Most of us looking for change are not only admitting how bad things are, but that solutions are not at all out of reach and can be utilized; look at how much progress has been made with composting & recycling for example. These may be small things, but they do add up over the long run.

And, I gotta be honest with you; I was stuck in stages 2 and 3 for a long time myself......but now, I've come to terms with how things really are(luckily for me I pretty much skipped stage 4).

We can, and have to, fix things(the longer we sit around and wring our hands, the worse things will get); absolute normalcy may not come back for a long time, but it really doesn't hurt to try, and every little effort does help add up. Those who have given up on fixing the problem, to be perfectly honest, never totally got out of stage 4, and are still clinging to it a little(no offense, but this is something I've come to notice over the past couple years). We need to move on from that as much as possible, if we want any more progress, no matter how cynical or pessimistic some may be.

[GliderGuider]

11. As I said in another context, fill your boots!

Everybody is going to have their own take on what the situation is and what constitutes appropriate action.

I've banished the word "should" from my vocabulary, and that kind of changes my outlook.

[AverageJoe90]

12. Good point, I guess.

I also do apologize for have coming off as a little harsh lately. Maybe it's just because things haven't really been going as fast as they should have....IDK, really.

[GliderGuider]

13. No sweat. We've all been there.

You ain't seen "harsh" until you've dug out some of my old posts from half a dozen years ago.

Over the last few years I've decided the game simply can't be won, at least not on the terms the enviro community is fighting it. The cluster can't be un-fucked - it's too complex, and we've already passed too many tipping points without even realizing it. So I've decided to stop trying to Fix It, and use my remaining energies for what I consider to be more important things. You may make of that what you wish - I know this view is tantamount to treason for some people, but it's where I've ended up after a decade of digging for root causes and looking for solutions.

I sincerely wish you good luck, and if you're younger than me (62) I apologize for my part in the fuckup. I've tried to clean up my shit behind me, but in a global industrial civilization that's a) not entirely possible, and b) inconsequential except from a karmic point of view.

[AverageJoe90]

9. Good post, but just one tiny suggestion for improvement.

I'd like to change just one thing about number 5(TBH, "I can't fight it" basically just sounds like a reiteration of stage 4 instead of actually moving on): "Well, it's happening, and we'll just have to accept that fact. But we can not only prepare, but we can indeed fix things(because we can.), and we should strive to do our best in making a better world for not just ourselves, but for all mankind."

[Delphinus]

14. I like this - a lot.

I think Finding the Gift is important in all situations.

Thank you!

[GliderGuider]

15. You're welcome.

Always.